Painting: Selections
Hannah Bray / Gavin Caldwell / Ann Hanlin / Jessica Joner / Gwendolyn Kangas / Josh Lyons / Rachel McDonald
Student Name: Hannah Bray
Title of Piece: “Anxious Space”
Medium: Oil paint and marker on canvas
Dimensions: 30” x 40”
Artist Statement: While painting this, I was getting ready to move and this was the home that I had lived in for the majority of my life. I literally felt like my strongest feelings were written on the walls and I was about to leave them all behind. That room had been the only place that I felt safe enough to break down and I was terrified that I would never feel that way again.
Bio: Painting is something I can do in the small corner of my room, without the pressure of having constant eyes on me. I tend to balance between cartoon and realistic, with the intent for my paintings to be childlike and bright. I’m at that age where I’m transitioning from childhood to adulthood and I constantly wonder if I’m worthy enough to be making big decisions. The future is a mystery to me. One day I would like to be a stay at home mom that paints in her free time, but will that be possible, only the future knows.
Course: ART258, Painting II
Professor: Grant Hottle
Student Name: Gavin Caldwell
Title of Piece: “Modoc”
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 24" x 36”
Artist Statement: There is something I love about the snow, a somber warmth; in one hand snow can be so numbing and harsh, in the other is a beauty like no other. This painting is pulled from a place of sanctuary for me called Modoc Point in southern Oregon. It's a place where I can disconnect from my malcontents and be present in every moment. Here there are no distractions, just me and my dog.
Bio: As a born and raised Alaskan I have found a lot of ways to keep myself entertained. I love making music, drawing, painting, and writing. I value learning and connection above all else. When it comes to creativity, I pull a lot from my comforts and the people I surround myself with. Creativity to me means expressing what I feel without hesitation or fear of judgement. My plan is to go to into psychiatry, and to devote myself to understanding and helping others. However, I aim to always be creating in some way or another.
Course: ART257, Painting I
Professor: Stephen Hayes
Student Name: Ann Hanlin
Title of Piece: “False Falls”
Medium: Acrylic paint, chicken wire, drop cloths, paper
Dimensions: 120" x 96" x 96"
Artist Statement: This piece is the second piece in a series of works following the same idea. What would a world look like if all nature as we know it has disappeared, and we are left to come up with, and create, the imagery through stories that we have heard, and not seen through our own eyes.
Bio: My family moved from Pennsylvania to Washington when I was eight. I was in awe of the new nature that surrounded me. My love of this nature inspires most of my work in some way. In the future, I want to make art that inspires children to appreciate nature and art the way I do. I would love to teach classes, make interactive pieces, and cater what I make to be both educational and fun for kids. I think this is a very important step to preserving the natural world that I, and many others, love so much.
Course: ART258, Painting II
Professor: Grant Hottle
Student Name: Jessica Joner
Title of Piece: “Behind the Mask”
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 5" x 7”
Artist Statement: During these unprecedented times, faces hid behind masks, let us not forget the soul and the heart of each person behind the mask.
Bio: Currently, I am enrolled in Clark College's Fine Arts Program, and I am planning to transfer to PSU this coming year to earn a BFA. I have always enjoyed dabbling in different art forms, but once my children were in school, I decided to pursue my love of art to a greater level here at Clark. Something inside of me comes alive when I create, and I look forward to expanding my skills and experience in the years to come. For me, art is a means of connecting with others and expressing hope, light, and beauty to the world.
Course: ART258, Painting II
Professor: Grant Hottle
Student Name: Gwendolyn Kangas
Title of Piece: “Memories”
Medium: Gouache on paper
Dimensions: 10" x 10”
Bio: My goal is to graduate with my associate's in Graphic Design. Fine art has always been a passion since I was a little girl and being on this educational journey is more than I ever could've wished. For me, I realize my creative side shows itself more when I think outside the box. I am not afraid to fail, am deeply interested in the project at hand, and love the whole creating process. Making art is therapy for me and I am so thankful I was given this gift.
Course: ART101, 2D Design & Color Theory
Professor: Michelle Ramin
Student Name: Josh Lyons
Title of Piece: “30 Shapes”
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 20" x 20”
Artist Statement: For this painting, I drew random lines on the canvas to create improvised shapes and then chose four random colors to fill out each shape. I was careful and made sure that most of the shapes were not touching another shape with the same color on any of its sides. This maintained the painting’s contrasting and chaotic nature.
Bio: I have always loved creating since I was young, whether that be painting, drawing, or photography. Currently, I am working towards making photography my career through classes at college, but I also want to improve my other artistic skills by taking classes in different mediums. My creative process often works slowly, as I go over what path I want to pursue in my art. My creativity is often the product of trial and error. I take several ideas and put them down as doodles or fully realized pieces trying to match what I picture in my head until I have something that I like and want to develop further.
Course: ART257, Painting I
Professor: Stephen Hayes
Student Name: Rachel McDonald
Title of Piece: “It’s a Small World”
Medium: Acrylic paint and mixed media on paper
Dimensions: 11" x 11”
Artist Statement: This art piece was for a perspective assignment in Art 101. In this assignment, the objective was to give the piece a depth that was believable by using overlapping, linear perspective, and/or scale relationships. For my own piece, I wanted to make a scale that looked right dimensionally but had components that were of unusual proportion comparative to their surroundings to give the piece a striking element.
Bio: Currently, I am enrolled in a two-year graphic design program at Clark College. Art has always been my passion and my way of expression. I have been continuously sketching, painting, drawing, and creating through my whole life. I see each challenge I face as an opportunity to learn something new and expand my own knowledge and creativity. My dream in life is to become a graphic designer. I want to do something that I enjoy, and to have a job that allows me to wake up to every day and have something new to be passionate about. I'm excited for what the future holds and I can't wait to see where the road takes me.
Course: ART101, 2D Design & Color Theory
Professor: Stephen Hayes